THE ALL-POWERFUL GOD - PSALM 139: VERSES 17-21

In Psalm 103:2, we are reminded that we should “Bless the Lord, Oh my soul….and forget not His benefits”.  The actual word for Benefits is the Hebrew word “gemul” which literally means….in context…”forget not all that He (the Lord) has given unto us”! We Christians have a tendency to not just forget what He has done for us, but the actual “benefit” of resting in the Victory of sin and death which He provides at the positional point of Salvation. 
One of the primary “benefits” of true conversion, from the dominion of darkness to the Kingdom of God’s marvelous light, is the ability to REST in the Lord! Jesus said it well (no surprise here). He said “you have not, because you ask not”. To paraphrase the King, we stress much, because we rest not.  The Bible talks about rest for the people of God all the time. Hebrews 4:9  tell us “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God”. While we have to work at staying close to the Lord, through right living, prayer and Bible study as well as good deeds, the most important part of our position in Christ is already done. We are forgiven if we repent. We are heaven-bound because Jesus the Son of God died for our sins on the Cross, and He is our Lord and Master. The important work is done.

King David, the prophet, warrior poet and king of Israel knew this, without knowing the fullness of Christ during his time on earth. He did not know the Name of Yeshua, but David was one of the few in the Old Testament who had the Holy Spirit of Christ! Here is the King of Israel, who had conquered all enemies, after spending over a decade on the run from King Saul and his assassins just resting and basking in the Glory of God.
Psalm 139:17-21
17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.
When I awake, I am still with You.
19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.
20 For they speak against You wickedly,
And Your enemies take Your name in vain.
21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
They have become my enemies.

Verse 17-18 are perfect examples for us today, on how a man or woman or child of God should function daily, in a dying, stress-filled and dangerous world, even when things personally go against us. Therein lies the Power of God in two distinctive ways. These ways are both the All-Powerful or Omnipotent God Himself and the Power of God imputed, embedded and existent in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit!

These are things which these two verses teaches us so we can have that same confidence, power and then rest in this Omnipotent God:
- The Thoughts of the Lord are not only precious, they take precedence over every other thought. His thoughts are NOT our thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). His Thoughts are right in our hands. His thoughts are known as The Bible. His Thoughts show us the pathway to peace, purpose and emotional prosperity.

- King David and most believers in God from Adam to only 400 years ago, never had a copy of the Bible EVER! It did not exist in the form, in which we are so fortunate to have nowadays. They did have the scrolls of the Law – the first five books of the Old Testament and the two historical books of Samuel; the Kings and the Chronicles (1st and 2nd of each, respectively).  They knew the works of the Lord from Abraham, Moses, the Crossing of the Red Sea and all His marvelous works. There were so many, concerning the Kindness, mercy and love of God that they could only come from His Unfathomable Mind and Heart. We have all of those Words and Thoughts and could never fully grasp the Totality of both words and thoughts in this lifetime. We could live to be 176 years like Abraham and still not understand 30% of them. This alone should inspire awe and reverence in Christians today.

Because the man of God knows what he doesn’t know (David that is,) and fully comprehends the absolute Power of God in His incredible Mind and Heart, the king is using wisdom, fortified by knowledge to discern the extent of this Power. God tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. You and I would be VERY wise if we recognize this huge TRUTH and live by it daily. Jesus Himself tells us, in Matthew 10:28 the following "Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell".

Verses 19-22 is a perfect example of the scary, yet awesome, Power of God to destroy evil. He – the Lord – HAS dismantled so many evil empires over history, we lose count. The very first one was the entire world during the Flood of Noah’s time. Later on, the Israelites were told to take the land belonging to the evil Canaanites and on and on. God even sacks the cities of His own people in order to uphold His Holiness as well as teach a lesson. The brutal Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar was saved by God towards the end of his life. However. before that, the Lord sent Nebuchadnezzar to sack, burn down now pagan Jerusalem and take the majority of people into exile, hundreds of miles away. 

God will always be holy, holy, holy.  All humankind, in our natural states, are wicked, wicked, wicked.  From here on out, after all we have seen and read of the Power of God to destroy evil in all of human history, anything we see taking place should be viewed with biblical lens. These lens shine the light on the sins of all people. When we see entire nations where witchcraft and voodoo are the major religions as in several third world countries suffer natural disasters and constant poverty, we see the power of God to punish (verse 19)

When we see nation against nation, tribe against tribe followed by pestilence and disease, we see verse 20.  Those who worship other gods in the demonic realm are not only taking the Name of the one True God in vain, they have violated the very first commandment and the law which has been written on hearts of ALL humans, since the time of Creation. While all final accounts will be settled for good on Judgment Day and eternal punishment awaits the wicked of the world – both nations and individuals, some judgment has already begun in this life. This is what the plaques of the Dark Ages was all about or the ruins we see in Central and South America now of ancient peoples who shook their fists at Holy God....among many others.

The people of God are supposed to hate, despise and turn away from all this wickedness of not just other nations, witchcraft and worse. But we are also commanded to not participate in the corruption of the modern culture and its obvious excesses (Verse 21).  The Word of God in this verse says “hate with a perfect hatred”. However, there is an addendum.

While we despise and stay away from everything evil, nonetheless, we pray for and about the entire scenario. We pray for protection from ALL evil (Psalm 91 and others). However, we also pray for the salvation of those involved in evil. Even if the evil is perpetrated against us, we pray for them.  We have personal evidence this kind of prayer works. The Power of God is such that sure He punishes evil, but He is also so powerful in love and goodness that He pardons those who have hated Him their entire lives, if they turn from their sins, repent and accept Him as Lord of their lives. In this, we see the Omnipotent demonstrate the amazing Power of Forgiveness. Glory to His Name. 

PRAY FOR.....PROTECTION

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)

No one has to remind us that we are surrounded by evil. No one has to point out that the times are evil and the wicked rule the world.  We just have to wake up in the morning and walk out the front door. Evil is all around us, and for some, even in their own homes.  Idolatry is worse now than it was from the days of the Philistines and their monster god Dagon to Christians engaging in New Age activities or Eastern Mysticism. There is even an oxymoron called “Christian Yoga” (oxymoron because yoga is Hinduism with its gazillions of ‘gods’ and Christianity only has Yahweh, the Triune God of Heaven). So the existence of evil is something we will live with until the End of the Age, and the Return of Christ.

But God, knowing all of this, has already prepared the way for us to be able to handle and again – it comes back to Prayer.  There is no other way to communicate with our Heavenly Father than through prayer. Singing worship songs in an emotional way, going on retreats and meeting in small groups to talk out life’s problems and even bible reading are all good facets of the Christian life.  However,  if all of this is done without application and supplication we will be one deserted sad population.

The Truth is God has literally shown us in His Word how we are able to and have the right to pray for His protection. He says "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them" (Psalm 34:7). The more we know His Word, as given in the Bible, then spend time discerning and learning how to interpret and apply, the easier it becomes to believe His promise and claim them as our own. He Who says in 2 Thessalonians 3:3 that “But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one”, will send His same angels to watch over us. (See video clip below for illustration).

Why are we able to do this? Because Scripture proves that “… are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). God has said and I believe it that He is “my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies (2 Samuel 22:3-4).

We pray thus: "Heavenly Father, we thank You that You send Your angels to guard over us so that we may not dash our feet against the sharp rocks and stumbling blocks out there. Thank You for keeping us from danger from things we never even saw or expected but Your Hands of protection covered us from danger.  

When Your Holy Spirit of Power directed us away from a certain area at the right time; when He kept us away from potentially bad situations and people; when He opened this door and shut that one, because it would have been detrimental for us to take what looked good at the time but was not from You; when Your Spirit guided us into the path of all Truth that we may not sin against You. When You and Your Holy Spirit from Heaven, Whom You embedded in my spirit kept us m from lust, evil and temptation that would have destroyed lives and families – when You did all that and more, Oh Great God of Heaven, Yahweh Shammah – You were there for us- THANK YOU! Thank You for Your Loving Arms of Protection. 

Thank You for fighting for us, for delivering us from all evil so that absolutely no weapon formed against us will prosper or even stand. Even the times You allowed us to go through deep dark and dangerous valleys, You were with us. We were never alone. So Father now, in complete gratitude we adore and worship Your Holy Name and pray that You will continue to go before us, to defeat the daily demons who threaten to depress/disgust and defeat us. Go before us, oh God and then spread Your Wings that not just us, but our families, loved ones and friends will be drawn under the Shadow of Your Mighty Countenance, in Jesus’ Strong and Mighty Name, Amen.

(Photo Credit Here)

"THE I AM STATEMENTS OF JESUS CHRIST" - PART 2

The book of John has Seven of the Great "I AM" statements of King Jesus, the Lord of the Universe - your Lord and my Lord and Savior. In Part 2 of this PLUMBLINE program, we look at the rest of the story. The great author/commentator Warren Wiersbe had a great exposition of the I AM statements of Christ and I exhort you to read them here, along with watching this program:

SEVEN "I AM" STATEMENTS FROM THE BOOK OF JOHN
1. The Bread Of Life
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)

2. The Light Of The World
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

3. The Gate
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. (John 10:9)

4. The Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11)

5. The Resurrection And The Life
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26)

6. The Way, The Truth, And The Life
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

7. The Vine
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

TEN DAYS OF PRAYER FOR THE PERSECUTED CHURCH: OCTOBER 24-NOVEMBER 2, 2014, Day 7

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE PRAYER REQUESTS & COMMIT TO PRAYER AT YOUR CONVENIENCE

ACTION POINT FOR TODAY: 
Please Pray  Psalm 5(NKJV) "Psalm of the Persecuted"

Give ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
2 Give heed to the voice of my cry,
My King and my God,
For to You I will pray.
3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.

4 For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness,
Nor shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight;
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood;
The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy;
In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your way straight before my face.

9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
Their inward part is destruction;
Their throat is an open tomb;
They flatter with their tongue.
10 Pronounce them guilty, O God!
Let them fall by their own counsels;
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,
For they have rebelled against You.

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You.
12 For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous;
With favor You will surround him as with a shield.

(Courtesy BibleGateway.com)

PRAYER POINT FOCUS:

Verses 1-3:     Seek the Lord in Supplication and Submission, with praise & wonder
Verses 4-6:     Acknowledge His Sovereignty, Power, Mighty and His Wrath against evil.
Verses 8-10:   Acknowledge the truth of the wicked but do not dwell on this. The Lord will judge, we shall not.
Verses 11-12: Ascribe all praise, glory and gratitude in prayer for the Amazing Grace which Abba Father has shown to us, His people. Amen